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Daily Archive: June 16, 2010

by David MacDougallAssociated Press Writer JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP)—Singer R. Kelly said he hopes his new World Cup anthem can inspire people in much the same way as his signature song “I Believe I Can Fly.” Kelly’s new “Sign of a Victory” has been declared the official anthem for the World Cup. The songwriter said in an interview on June 9 that it carried a message of hope and triumph. R. KELLY

by Donna BrysonAssociated Press Writer JOHANNESBURG (AP)—The world came to Soweto on June 10 for a celebration of football, music and unity on the eve of Africa’s first World Cup, with a concert featuring international headliners Shakira, the Black Eyed Peas and Alicia Keys. Warm-up acts played for hours before the internationally televised portion of the concert began at 8 p.m. with a frenzy of flag waving, drumming and African-inspired dancing. INTERNATIONAL HEADLINERS—Black Eyed Pea’s singer Fergie, left, Will.I.Am, and Apl.d.Ap, 2nd right, smile at the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, June 9.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Members of Indianapolis’ Black community gathered June 11 to demand the city fire all five police officers who were present during a violent arrest that left a 15-year-old biracial youth with a bruised, swollen face. Reverend Stephen Clay said the Indianapolis Met­ro­politan Police Department should have fired all the officers who were at the scene when Brandon Johnson was arrested. Chief Paul Ciesielski said June 10 he had recommended that Officer Jerry Piland, 36, be fired for continuing to strike the teen during the May 16 incident after other officers had subdued him. VICTIMIZED—A photo of Brandon Johnson, taken after the 15-year-old boy was struck in the face repeatedly by Indianapolis police during his arrest on May 16, is shown in front of Johnson during a news conference in Indianapolis, June 10.

ATLANTA (AP)—Two Atlanta police officers involved in the fatal 2006 police shooting of a 92-year-old grandmother were fired and another resigned after an internal investigation found they lied and falsified documents in the aftermath of the botched police raid. Interim Police Chief George Turner said last week he hoped the results of the investigation would close the books on the grisly shooting, which has scarred the Atlanta department’s reputation and led to a federal investigation. He said the probe has led to several changes in protocol and a more powerful citizen review panel. BOTCHED DRUG RAID—This undated family photo shows Kathryn Johnson, who was shot and killed by Atlanta police officers during a botched drug raid on her home in 2006.

BALTIMORE (AP)—A Baltimore police officer accused of shooting an unarmed man a dozen times outside a nightclub was ordered held without bail Monday, and his attorney said the officer had been demonized by a police department eager to show that it punishes rogue cops. Officer Gahiji A. Tshamba, 36, turned himself in early Sunday, more than a day after he was charged in a warrant with first-degree murder in the death of 32-year-old Tyrone Brown. The victim was a former Marine who served two tours in Iraq and had two children. TYRONE BROWN

Week of June 18-24June 181941—Labor and civil rights leader A. Phillip Randolph initially rejected a plea by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to call off the first-ever Black-organized March on Washington designed to protest unfair employment practices by the military and the defense industry. The march was planned by Randolph, Bayard Rustin and A.J. Muste—all relatively unsung heroes of the early Civil Rights Movement. The march was not cancelled until Roosevelt signed the Fair Employment Act. Ironically, over 20 years later, Randolph would be one of the principal figures helping Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. organize his historic 1963 March on Washington. A. PHILLIP RANDOLPH

by Elinor Tatum If you look at any election in the past 50 years, you will notice one thing—that the Black vote counts. But when you look at the way politicians look at the Black vote, you may see a very different picture. The Black community has power, and when we get passionate about an issue, we come out in full force. But when we are neglected, we may very well sit an election out.

Father’s Day as some of are aware could be every day of the year. On a personal level the four of us were blessed with the most wonderful father a family could have. Our father was a neighbor father who demonstrated by example all of the qualities that were necessary in the development of a man. Daddy was more than an exceptional provider of materialism, he instilled in all that knew him the following positive factors: Responsibility for self, family and others, never condoning wrong, can’t was never to be a part of your vocabulary or lifestyle, all things being equal you could accomplish anything, honor your parents, respect for all adults and especially women.

(REAL TIMES MEDIA)—Imagine you have a roommate. You didn’t necessarily want a roommate, but you live a pretty expensive lifestyle, and you’d rather have a roommate than budget your money better to actually afford your place. You and your roommate have a decent relationship, occasionally you bump heads but essentially you need each other. Unfortunately there’s one big problem, your roommate is messy. Every couple of months he makes a huge mess in the kitchen and never gets around to washing the dishes. No matter how many times you tell him to clean up, no matter how much the kitchen smells, or how high the dishes pile he never gets around to cleaning up the kitchen. Morally everybody knows that you should just refuse to wash dishes until the problem gets so bad the roommate has to clean it up, but you just can’t wait that long. Whether he likes it or not President Barack Obama is going to have to “wash the dishes” with the BP gulf spill, unless Americans are willing to dump their oily “roommate.”

(NNPA)—Most news stories about a new study showing that 22 percent of Black male newlyweds and 9 percent of African-American females marry outside their race neglected to report another major finding: When Whites, Hispanics and Asians decide to marry outside their group, African-Americans rank last in their choice of mates. A study by the Pew Research Center titled, “Marrying Out: One-in-Seven New U.S. Marriages is Interracial or Interethnic,” received widespread national attention. And many saw it as yet another confirmation that Black females are in a no-win predicament when it comes to marriage, especially marriage to another African-American.